Tuesday 29 December 2009

A Secluded Paradise

We arranged with a local dive shop to be dropped off by their dive boat at an island 2 hours off the coast of Sihanoukville called Koh Rung.  The island has 4 small villages (each with about 20/30 homes) on the coast, a hilly jungle covered centre and numerous white and yellow sand beaches.  As we approached in the boat all we could see was white sand and a few wooden huts and were prpared for a quiet christmas on the beach.
 
The room that we took was in a wooden beach house built on the pier, so we slept with the sound of the waves washing underneath us.  The island was a true paradise, we explored the beaches that we had to ourselves, swam in the warm sea and basically relaxed.  The pier was in one of the small villages and everywhere we went we were greeted by hellos and smiling faces, from every single person we met.  Vicky was even escorted down the pier by a small child to make sure she was ok.
 
As a break from the beaches we went exploring the centre of the island and headed to the opposite coast.  We were climbing through jungle again, although this time inapprpriately dressed in shorts and vest.  We pushed our way through bushes, climbed along logs and opver boulders till we came to the top of the island and looked down at the perfect beach!  It was a bay about 2 miles long with a turquoise sea lapping onto it and there was not a soul to be seen.  We quickly made our way down the rocks and to the beach and into the ocean before doing some more of what we do best, relaxing on the beach.  After a few hours on the beach we made our way back and had dinner in a beach hut over looking pcean under a clear starlit sky - we truly had found 'bounty island' .
 
Did you sense a 'but' coming?  Despite the sheer beauty of the island and the people on it, we made the decision to leave after only 2 days and before Christmas.  Sandflies!  such a shame.
 

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